Spurs may make striker move

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed he is considering the possibility of signing a striker in the final two days of the transfer window.

The speedy recovery of Jermain Defoe from injury and the imminent return of Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor from the African Cup of Nations will relieve Villas-Boas’s alarming striker shortage, but he has hinted that a fresh arrival may be on his agenda ahead of the transfer deadline on Thursday night.

Tottenham’s shock FA Cup exit at Leeds on Sunday exposed a flaw in the make-up of Villas-Boas’s squad as he was forced to start with attacking midfielder Clint Dempsey as his lead striker in the absence of Defoe and Adebayor and while he insists he can plot a path to success this season, it seems he is eager to bolster his options in the next couple of days.

Even though he has ruled out an expensive move for Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo and distanced himself from rumours linking Spurs with a bid for Celtic’s Gary Hooper, Villas-Boas seems to be open to a new hit-man being added to his ranks.

“We are happy to take the risk and stay with the strikers we have at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we are not looking at other possibilities,” stated the Tottenham boss, who has again been linked with Brazilian forward Leandro Damiao in recent days.

“We have had good news on Defoe’s injury and it is not true that he will require surgery, so this is extremely important for us and I am also extremely happy with the way Clint Dempsey is playing in the forward position.

“The goal that he scored on Sunday against Leeds showed that. It was a striker kind of goal and he made the run in the first place to score.

Obviously, he hasn’t been used to often in this position in England, but it doesn’t mean he can’t play it.”

He has also opened the door for Jake Livermore to make a move to QPR in this transfer window after confirming his midfielder has been given a chance to make a decision on his own future.

“It is open for him to decide on his future because he hasn't been involved a lot. This is a situation we are considering. We also have a commitment from the player to fight for his place here.”